Best walks in Pembrokeshire Coast National Park

By Daniel Graham

Published: Wednesday, 25 January 2023 at 12:00 am

Established in 1952, the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park is one of three national parks in Wales.

The park, covering 243 sq miles, includes an incredible coastline of natural arches, stacks and sea caves, along with a wealth of sandy beaches and seaside towns – all can be discovered on the Pembrokeshire Coast Path. Away from the coast, the park also includes marshes, inland forests and the rolling Presell Hills.

Explore the extraordinary Pembrokeshire Coast with our favourite walks in the national park. Each route includes walking directions and a map.

Find out more about Britain’s national parks

What is a national park, how many national parks are there in the UK, and where is the nearest one to you? Our guide to the UK’s 15 spectacular national parks looks at the history of each, how to visit them, the best walking routes, and local wildlife to spot. 

 

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Pembrokeshire Coast walks

Dinas Head, Pembrokeshire

2.9 miles | 2 hours | moderate

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Looking back at Cwm-yr-Eglwys from the Pembrokeshire Coast Path on Dinas Head/Credit: Simon Whaley

Head to the west coast of Wales to discover Dinas Head’s cosy coves, romantic ruins and a wheelchair-friendly path.

Route details

  • 2.9 mile (4.7km)
  • 2 hours
  • moderate

Map and route

"Dinas

Marloes Peninsula, Pembrokeshire

5.4 miles | 3 hours | moderate

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Rainbow above Wooltack Point on the Deer Park in Pembrokeshire, Wales, UK/Credit: Drew Buckley

One of the finest stretches on the Pembrokeshire coastline, the Marloes Peninsula takes in a long sandy beach, dramatic rock formations and clifftops of wildflowers.

Route details

  • 5.4miles (8.4km)
  • 3 hours
  • Moderate

Map and route

"Marloes

Dyffryn Fernant Garden, Pembrokeshire

5.5 miles | 3 hours | moderate

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Mixed planting at the front of Dyffryn Fernant Gardens/Credit: Getty

Few places talk to the landscape quite like Dyffryn – explore these pretty gardens in Pembrokeshire National Park then step into the hills for a seven-mile loop walk.

Route details

  • 5.5 miles/8.8km
  • 3 hours
  • Moderate

Map and route

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Caldey Island, Pembrokeshire

3.5 miles | 2 hours | easy

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Look for cormorants and other seabirds on the cliffs of Caldey Island/Credit: Getty

Explore the historic Welsh island of Caldey and its Cistercian abbey, where woodlands resound with birdsong and path verges blush pink in spring with clumps of thrift.

Route details

  • 3.5 miles/5.6km
  • 2 hours
  • Easy

Map and route

"Caldey

Saundersfoot to Tenby, Pembrokeshire

8 miles | 5 hours | moderate

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Iconic Tenby faces north towards First and Second Bay/Credit: Getty

Perched on the western fringes of Carmarthen Bay, the charming seaside towns of Tenby and Saundersfoot are designated conservation areas that offer superb Blue Flag beaches and picturesque harbours. Explore the beaches and seaside towns of south Pembrokeshire’s sandy coast with a seven-mile circular walk.

Route details

  • 8 miles/12km
  • 5 hours
  • Moderate

Map and route

"Saundersfoot

Ramsey Island, Pembrokeshire

2.6 mile | 1.5 hours | easy

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Guillemots are one of many species that make this island their home/Credit: Getty

Escape to an isolated Welsh island and ramble over a rugged landscape teeming with wildlife.

Route details

  • 2.6miles/4.2km
  • 1.5 hours
  • Easy

Map and route

"Ramsey

Preseli Hills, Pembrokeshire

5.8 miles | 4 hours | moderate

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View of the coast from the Preseli Hills in Pembrokeshire/Credit: Getty

Nordic walking – somewhere between hiking and running – is a great way to explore the British countryside. Try it for yourself with ramble through one of the most captivating prehistoric landscapes in Wales.

Route details

  • 5.8 miles/9.4km
  • 4 hours
  • Moderate

Map and route

"Presell

Porthmelgan, Pembrokeshire

3.4 miles | 2 hours | moderate

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Porthmelgan Bay in summer/Credit: Getty

Sheltered beneath the bulk of St David’s Head and its Iron Age remains is a half-moon of silvery rock and blonde sand known as Porthmelgan – the perfect summer escape.

Route details

  • 5.4km/3.4 miles
  • 2 hours
  • Moderate

Map and route

"Map

Skomer Island, Pembrokeshire

3.5 miles | 2 hours | moderate

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Sand eels make up a large park of a puffin’s diet/Credit: Getty
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See puffins on one of the most accessible and important seabird colonies in north-west Europe.

Route details

  • 5.7km/3.5 miles
  • 2 hours
  • Moderate

Map and route

"Skomer

St David’s Peninsula, Pembrokeshire

9.4 miles | 6 hours | challenging

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Stroll along the blissful shores of Whitesands Bay/Credit: Getty

This superb coastal walk follows the trails of some of the Dark Age saints, for whom the St David’s Peninsula was a place of pilgrimage, and passes beside the wild waters of Ramsey Sound.

Route details

  • 15.1km/9.4 miles
  • 6 hours
  • Challenging

Map and route

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